TPWTM 2

“Is there something you wish to say?”

“Everyone seems busy finding a partner for the victory banquet… but you look so relaxed, Sir Yurik. Have you already decided on a partner?”

“I have been busy with my duties as an official and have not yet found a partner.”

“Ah, I see.”

A mysterious smile appeared on Leslie’s lips. Seeing Leslie’s eyes, which glittered like a hunter who has found his prey, Yurik swallowed a sigh. His intentions were so obvious that frankly, he did not even want to respond, but he could not act without regard for his reputation.

“Come to think of it, Sir Yurik. You’re a graduate of the military academy, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Over there, there’s a friend I’m close with named Teshi. He just graduated from the military academy as well, and what do you know, he was so surprised when he heard about you, Sir Yurik. He said your reputation was formidable when you were at the academy.”

Yurik silently looked at Leslie and put the cigar back in his mouth. The scent was sweet, but somehow it also smelled like a subtly cheap perfume.

Of course, it might have felt that way more because of his undignified behavior. Watching the Omega trying so hard to look good for him, Yurik leisurely exhaled smoke.

The House of Windsor was a family held in high esteem even among the empire’s nobles. A family of meritorious subjects, with a territory and wealth accumulated over generations. If it were only that, they would not have been able to survive in today’s high society.

The external appearance, as if an personification of the beauty of a northern noble with silver-blonde hair, icy blue eyes like the winter sea, and white skin, had further enhanced the fame of the House of Windsor.

The House of Windsor was famous for being born with silver-blonde hair for generations, and their delicate and elegant appearance, like a Yuri craftwork, had played a large part in placing them at the pinnacle of high society.

Above all, Yurik Windsor was a man who fit the description of the ultimate northern aristocrat. Furthermore, an Alpha. He was the most popular marriage prospect in the empire, along with Karon Chevinelle, the representative noble of the south.

Yurik was very well aware of his own position. He knew all too well why Leslie was wafting his pheromones at him. However…….

‘He would surely flip out if he knew the family was drowning in debt.’

Wealth and honor often went together. If either one was lacking, one would be called a parvenu or a wicked bourgeois, or be cursed as a family with nothing but a name left.

The House of Windsor was a family that could not lose both. How could he ruin the family his ancestors had protected in his own generation. It was an unthinkable thing. Even if his parents and younger brother had already squandered more than half of it.

‘From now on, I will never, ever show any sign of haste.’

He must never lose the calmness and nobility that are among the virtues of a noble, always act with composure, and make the nobles look up to him. Yurik made a firm resolution.

In the midst of such thoughts, he flinched upon seeing Leslie suddenly get up and approach him.

The window connected to the terrace had no curtains, so the inside and outside were clearly visible.

This meant that Yurik and Leslie on the terrace were clearly visible to the nobles inside the ballroom, and that everyone was glancing and observing what the two were doing.

What is he doing now, knowing this full well?

Leslie stealthily approached and put his arm on Yurik’s shoulder, then bent his waist as if to embrace Yurik.

It was an action that could be highly misunderstood by anyone watching, and one that could be spread through the gossip-loving mouths of the nobles. Yurik quietly looked at Leslie and frowned. Leslie whispered softly.

“Sir Yurik. Actually, I’ve wanted to tell you for a while.”

“……Tell me what.”

“You would surely be fine just handling your family’s affairs, but on top of that, you are even an official at the Imperial Palace. I was envious of that brilliance and boldness. Since I am the second son…… I was worrying a lot about what I should do in my family, and how I could find something I could do myself.”

“If it’s about that, you didn’t have to come this close to talk.”

At Yurik’s words, Leslie’s face turned a shade redder. Then, Leslie now very boldly pushed the table slightly and placed his bottom on Yurik’s lap. Yurik, with a weary face at the outrageous act, held the cigar in his mouth.

Leslie, with a suggestive expression, wrapped both arms around Yurik’s shoulders while exuding pheromones. The face that came close was charming enough, but it failed to stir any emotion in Yurik.

Leslie said as if shy.

“Sir Yurik, at this victory banquet…… I would be pleased if you would accompany me. If you do…….”

Yurik looked at Leslie’s face and thought of the nobles who would be watching the terrace from inside and what they would be whispering. Just thinking about it for a moment made him tired. Leslie continued.

“Tonight, with you, Sir…….”

Is he out of his mind, so hot in the body when it’s not even his heat? There had been quite a few nobles who approached him so boldly, but they had all been knocked away by Yurik’s cold rejections and expressions of utter contempt. What on earth gives this Leslie person the confidence to cling to him?

Yurik, holding the cigar, turned his head slightly to exhale the smoke, then wrapped his arm around the waist of Leslie, who was sitting lightly on his thigh.

“Sir Leslie.”

Leslie looked at Yurik with expectant eyes. Yurik placed his half-smoked cigar on the ashtray and brought his head close to Leslie’s ear.

“You look cheap.”

“……Sir?”

To sit on someone’s lap without permission, so vulgar and without manners, and to make unnecessary contact. Yurik repeated himself to the stiffened Leslie.

“I said you look cheap.”

With that, he lifted Leslie who was sitting on his thigh and pushed him away slightly. Leslie, who had been holding Yurik with both arms, fell back with a flustered face.

“Don’t do this kind of thing anywhere else.”

“No…… this…… Sir!”

Glancing at Leslie, whose face had turned bright red, Yurik stood up and walked past him. Leslie, biting his lip with a resentful face, tried to grab Yurik. Yurik lightly slapped Leslie’s hand away and added a word before leaving the terrace.

“I know you can’t help yourself because you’re hot in the body, but it seems you have no sense of occasion. Which Alpha would fall for such an unprincipled display.”

“Ha……! Yurik Windsor!”

“Yes, Sir Leslie Ardmond. Please protect your honor.”

“Hey! Don’t you stop there?”

That’s right. The young nobleman of the north. Yurik, called the ice prince, was cold enough with his words to not lose to anyone in the empire, and was ruthless, not distinguishing between what should and shouldn’t be said.

Yurik left behind the enraged Leslie calling after him and exited the terrace.

The sound of whispering grew louder, but it was not Yurik’s concern. Let them talk if they want to. In the end, it was Leslie, not Yurik, who would be criticized.

Yurik crossed the ballroom and took a champagne glass from a passing servant. As he was wetting his throat with a bored expression, Countess Rusterien, who had approached after seeing the small commotion, snapped her fan shut and laughed.

“Oh my, Yuri! If you came, you should have come to see me first!”

A high-pitched voice. Yurik instantly composed his expression and turned his head.

“Have you been well, Madam. It’s been a while, but your youth still hasn’t faded.”

At his brightly smiling words, Countess Rusterien covered her face and laughed charmingly.

“Our Yuri, you’re still so good with your flattery.”

“I am merely conveying my sincerity. So, are you having a good time tonight?”

Countess Rusterien came closer, called a servant, and raised her own champagne glass, sticking close to Yurik.

The fan snapped shut, covering her mouth.

“Of course. It’s a very pleasant and happy night. But Yuri…….”

Yurik bent his waist for the much shorter Countess. Countess Rusterien whispered softly in his ear.

“I heard the rumor.”

Yurik’s complexion, which had maintained its composure, subtly hardened.

Rumor……? ……What rumor?

• ~ *

Karon got out of the carriage. The damp air felt like it would rain at any moment, and the wind blew more fiercely than usual. Karon looked at the Rusterien County estate, splendidly decorated with lights and interior decorations, tossed the fare roughly to the coachman, and went inside.

“Welcome…… Hah!”

The butler who was seeing off and greeting guests at the entrance caught sight of Karon and gasped.

“Is that not Sir Che, Chevinelle!”

Karon’s eyebrow twitched at the boisterous welcome. The fame of the House of Chevinelle was widely known, so it was not an unusual reaction, but something felt different.

Karon stared at the butler and then strode inside. The butler followed behind him, not knowing what to do.

“Sir Chevinelle. Countess Rusterien is currently hosting the banquet. Since you came without an invitation, you must first greet the Countess……”

“Be quiet, where is he?”

“Pardon? Wh, who are you referring to?”

Karon stopped walking and turned to look at the butler. His two eyes, like those of a fierce beast, held a mysterious charm, but combined with the aura of an Alpha, they created an overwhelming presence. The corner of Karon’s mouth lifted slightly.

“I mean His Highness the 1st Prince.”

I came here knowing he is here, so guide me immediately. To Karon, who was sending such a look, the butler could not utter a single word and guided Karon to the lounge where the 1st Prince, Razhwell, was.

Razhwell had not even shown his face in the ballroom and was lying languidly on a couch in a corner of the lounge, drinking wine while looking out the window.

His presence here was officially a secret to the nobles, but they had found out by word of mouth that the 1st Prince was attending the banquet hosted by the Countess today. They had come seeking an opportunity to build a relationship with the prince who had continuously brought news of victory and had become closer than anyone to the position of Crown Prince.

Of course, Razhwell had not come paying attention to such things one by one; he had just come to the banquet because the Empress’s gaze was sharp when he was cooped up in the Imperial Palace, and he wanted to have a drink with the knights he met while rolling around on the front lines, but couldn’t go out.

Of course, he hadn’t expected Karon to show up so suddenly.

Seeing the red-haired man who burst into the lounge, Razhwell coughed while drinking his wine, choked, and sat up.

“Cough! Ka, Karon?”

“Seeing you so flustered, it seems you didn’t expect me to come at all?”

Karon answered in a sarcastic tone and strode up to Razhwell. Razhwell wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, sighed, and lay back down on the couch. At his relaxed posture, Karon’s eyebrow twitched.

“I told you to rest, but you can’t even wait for that and come to see your superior?”

“My duties with the knight order are all finished, so you’re not my superior anymore.”

“Ah, it hurts me when you say that. Karon. Didn’t the entire third knight order of the Imperial Palace swear? That they would follow only me.”

“That’s that. I heard from my father. What on earth are you doing all of a sudden?”

Razhwell looked at Karon with a relaxed smile. He wasn’t without a hot-headed side, but he didn’t… not know that he would come flying to him as soon as he heard the news. That was his personality, this guy. Razhwell came to an understanding on his own and answered.

“Oh, that?”

“Oh, that?”

Karon mimicked Razhwell’s words with a dumbfounded expression. Karon was almost the only one who acted informally in front of the empire’s prince.

Anyone who saw would make a fuss about where he had thrown his decorum, but in this room, there were only Karon, Razhwell, and one of Razhwell’s guards. The guard, Ren, had been with him since they were young and knew the relationship between Karon and Razhwell, so he stood against the wall with a taciturn face. Karon glanced at Ren, gritted his teeth, and said as if chewing on his words.

“Marriage, could you please explain in detail what kind of nonsense this is. You said His Highness the 1st Prince recommended it.”

“Sit down first. Would you like a glass of wine?”

Razhwell, unfazed by Karon’s burning gaze, offered him a wine glass. Ren timely brought a chair for Karon, and Karon slumped down.

“Why are you overreacting. It’s good to get married. You can go on a honeymoon, and it’ll be much better than wandering around looking for someone to warm your bed every time.”

“I have never wandered around, and my partners came to me on their own.”

“The empire’s official playboy… I had forgotten. Your fame.”

“If you know, then please tell my father again. He said he has already sent a marriage proposal on the order of His Highness the 1st Prince.”

“The Duke of Chevinelle is quick on his feet. Did he say he sent it to the place I recommended?”

Razhwell retorted slyly to Karon’s irritable words and asked back. Karon crossed his arms and scoffed.

“I didn’t hear. Why would I need to know when I’m not going to do it anyway?”

“Oh, my, you really are……”

Watching Karon who confidently said he hadn’t heard, Razhwell swallowed a laugh. Then, as if telling an important secret, he placed a hand on Karon’s shoulder and said.

“It’s the County of Windsor.”

“……What?”

“Yes. That Windsor.”

“Ha……”

Karon swallowed a hollow laugh. The County of Windsor? It was a family impossible not to know. A great noble family of the north and a family of meritorious subjects of the empire, a living history of the empire that had remained until now. A family that was noble from birth, with great honor, integrity, and power.

In contrast, the House of Chevinelle was a new noble family that had climbed up on the back of power. Although they held the title of Duke, they were a family with not a speck of honor.

Karon judged his own family coldly. To send a marriage proposal to the House of Windsor. This wasn’t a matter of accepting or not; they would reject it from the start. I worried for nothing. Karon crumpled his expression.

Seeing that face, Razhwell held back a laugh.

“I can clearly see what you’re thinking, but as far as I know, they can never refuse.”

“……What do you mean.”

“The detailed circumstances are a family secret, so talk about it with your future spouse later.”

“I said I’m not getting married.”

“Why don’t you want to?”

“I don’t like being tied down to anyone. I was stuck in the military academy, then dragged to a battlefield because of some Highness, and I just became a free man, does it make sense to get married as soon as I’m free?”

At Karon’s irritable answer, Razhwell smiled and caressed his forehead.

“It would be good if you changed your mind.”

“……Why on earth.”

“Get married. Get married, and be loved enough to be able to control that family.”

What… this person who usually has no interest in and doesn’t interfere with what his subordinates do, why is he being like this? And love? In a marriage between nobles, love rarely ever got involved. Is he saying this knowing that full well? Looking at the prince with a disgruntled eye out of disbelief, Karon stood up.

“Wow, I didn’t know you were so pure and innocent. If you want something like that, Your Highness should do it yourself.”

“You really have such an impatient personality.”

Razhwell stopped him as he was about to leave. Razhwell grabbed Karon’s clothes and grinned. The smiling face was one that always appeared when he was plotting something, so Karon snatched back his caught clothes in annoyance. Seeing Karon sit down roughly again, the prince spoke as if whispering.

“There’s a secret in that family. You know they’re the family of the first meritorious subjects, right?”

“Is there a citizen of the empire who doesn’t?”

Razhwell gestured for Karon to come closer, as if telling a secret. Karon sighed and leaned forward.

“In that House of Windsor, the secret of the first emperor of the empire is hidden.”

What is this now. Karon frowned.

“That is a secret that has been passed down as top secret even in that family, and they can only reveal that ‘secret’ to a partner who has won their true heart.”

“……Did you happen to see a book like a baseless oral legend while rummaging through the Imperial archives?”

“No, I heard it from my father.”

“……Pardon?”

The current emperor of the Halcon Empire was recuperating due to a chronic illness. Because the emperor was bedridden, Empress Bistet, who had strong maternal relatives, held the regency and was shaking the empire. The empress was the current emperor’s new wife, and the 1st Prince, Razhwell, was the only child of the deceased former empress.

Thanks to Empress Bistet holding the regency, Razhwell, despite being the 1st Prince, had not received the title of Crown Prince. This was despite the fact that the 2nd Prince, born to Empress Bistet, was a young child who had just turned three.

Bistet was openly wary of Razhwell. To place her own son on the throne of the Crown Prince.

Razhwell smiled faintly.

“And that secret will be an excellent stratagem to bring down the empress who holds the political power in place of my ailing father.”

At Razhwell’s words, Karon swallowed a groan. A secret? The secret of the first emperor is hidden in the House of Windsor? Just hearing it sounded too absurd and incomprehensible.

“Do you…… believe that story?”

“My father is ill in body, not in mind.”

Karon had a confused expression. Seeing that face, Razhwell said with conviction.

“It exists. Whatever that ‘secret’ is, something to break through the current situation. In that family.”

“…….”

“So I want you to help me. Karon.”

Karon pressed his lips together. He had been the closest friend to the 1st Prince, Razhwell, since they were young, and Razhwell’s greatest power was that friend, Karon. Although the House of Chevinelle acted as the dog that cleaned up the empress’s dirty deeds, that was only the surface; the inside story was very different.

“When I become the Crown Prince, I will definitely let you get a divorce.”

The 1st Prince becoming the Crown Prince was no different from overturning the power structure of the Halcon Empire.

“And the focal point of the new imperial authority must be your family and you. You get your freedom. You get power and honor.”

The way he whispered and tempted him seemed very familiar. Razhwell was good at this kind of thing. Stimulating other people’s desires and wants to get his own way. And Karon, frankly, was tempted.

“So, I just need to become the ‘true partner’ of the House of Windsor?”

“Yes. You just need to be showered with love. From the person of that House of Windsor.”

It was a family that had been subjected to all sorts of disgrace since Karon was young. Thanks to that, a sense of mission to raise the family’s honor was deeply… not quite, but moderately ingrained in him. Karon thought. He didn’t know if it would work or not, but this was a deal with not bad conditions.

If I become the object of true love, the prince I serve becomes the Crown Prince, follows the path of an emperor, and I get both honor and power? Above all, I can be guaranteed a free (read as debauched) life?

He was not just tempted, but completely hooked. As Karon’s mind was working feverishly, Razhwell laid out one condition.

“However, there’s a condition.”

“……What is it?”

“You must never truly fall in love.”

“……Huh?”

“That’s absolutely forbidden. The other person must love you like crazy, but you can’t. Karon. If you do, you will lose everything.”

Razhwell’s words were strange. What on earth is the secret of the House of Windsor…… for him to say such a thing.

“Ha.”

Karon scoffed. Anyway, putting the secret aside, love? Loove? Absolutely not. That was a word that could not exist for him.

Countless beauties had passed through his life, but he had never once experienced true love. Of course, he had felt an emotionally fulfilling feeling. While having a vigorous physical conversation. But that was all it was for everyone.

As a human weak to pleasure, he had lived faithfully following his instincts, but not once had he ever thought of wanting to possess or own someone, or wanting to be by their side forever, or truly loving someone. Not, once, ever.

Karon confidently lifted the corner of his mouth.

“What do you take me for.”

Razhwell smirked.

“The empire’s prodigal son, the living romance?”

Hah. Karon let out a leisurely breath and crossed his legs.

“That, let’s do it.”

Making the other person fall for him and flounder was too easy for Karon. Just by smiling, with a single gesture, a nod of the head, or a single glance, he could warm his bed with the warmth of another.

“It’s easy. Winning a heart.”

At the confident answer, Razhwell wondered if it would really be easy, but he didn’t refute Karon’s words. Because he didn’t want to shatter that pride.

“Yes, I’ll trust you. Karon.”

Thus, the contract between Karon and the 1st Prince, Razhwell, was established.

However, there was a fact that Karon had misunderstood.

The Omega of the House of Windsor had already eloped, and he had to take an Alpha as his wife.

Above all, the Alpha of the House of Windsor,

Was not an ordinary Alpha who was faithful to his instincts.